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Brunanter comics
Brunanter comics are comics written in English, Dutch or Barzuna, for the comic market in Brunant. The comics by Brunanter creators account for approximately 40% of all the comics published in Brunant today,About 20% corresponds to Japanese manga, 30% to European comics (predominantly Franco-Belgian), while the rest to American titles with Drakenkop and Comfuzio Comics being the main publishers of original material. History Early years (1946 - 1968) Hendrik Smeets created the first Brunanter comic in 1946. It was Postbode Willy that run from 1946 to 1950 in the now-defunct Koningstad Krant. It was a humorous comic strip focusing on the situations the protagonist, a mailman, encountered during his daily route. It was met with great success from the readers and that inspired many young creators. During the 50's and most of the 60's, the comics published were mainly humorous strips or were meant for children. They included De Arabier by Jeroen Smit and Albert Darge, Little Hilda by Thomas Herbertson and Henk and Herman, written by Smeets and drawn by Jeroen de Moor. Gilbert Sarria's Hansworst series, although humorous, used elements from the noir genre and aimed at an adult audience. The Golden Age (1968 - 1980) In the late 60's and onwards, comics began becoming more adult-oriented. This change was spearheaded mainly by de Moor's and Roxanne and Inspector Drost. De Moor had a more realistic approach to the scenario and didn't hesitate depicting scenes of murder or sex. Later, Pat McCloud created the best known western series, Cincinatti Morgan. The years between 1968 and 1980 were described by scholar Michiel Borst as the Golden Age of Brunanter comics. The sales as well the number of the publications went up and many important titles appeared. Among them are the noir graphic novel Lonesome Streets by Jeroen de Moor, the space opera Captain Ztar by Alfons and the satirical The Bad Wolf by N. Jones. Little Jan by Hans Leerdam, was perhaps the most popular childen's comic book at the time. A number of magazines dedicated to comics were founded during that time (Groen Licht, Kinderen etc). Most of them were short-lived, with the exception of Panel, which continues its circulation until this day. In 1979, Alfons, Tom de Weerd and Anouk Hoepelman founded the anthology magazine Grotschildering, in order to promote new talents. Although it struggled for the first years of its existence, Grotschildering played a pivotal role in the next decade. The crisis (1980-1991) In the 1980s, there was a restructuring of the market that lead to a poor domestic production. The increase of translated titles (especially of the American superhero genre and later of manga) made the publishers reluctant to give the chance to aspiring artists, knowing that in a small country like Brunant the audience is rather limited. The sales fell sharply. Panel, Grotschildering and Wop! were the most important vehicles for new talents. The scene seemed to split in two. On one hand there were mainstream series like Kandrak the Brave, by Hugo Luchtenveld and Erik Berveling, and The Phantom Protector by John Hilliard. Especially Kandrak the Brave was the biggest commercial success of the decade. On the other side of the spectrum the underground movement emerged, spearheaded by Baanan and Miquel Belerio. These artists turned to self-publishing as a way to show their work and have creative freedom. Recuperation (1991-2000) In 1991, Michiel Borst and N. Jones initiated the Koningstad Comics Festival. Co-funded by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Fnac Brunant and others, it attracted thousands of visitors and is credited with revitilizing the Brunanter comics. The Smeets Awards, named after Hendrik Smeets, are given every year since 1992. Kunst Heden, the most prestigious art magazine in Brunant, started including comic strips and comic reviews in 1992. Artists like Frits and Agnes Looijen made their early steps in Kunst Heden. John Hilliard established himself as a top creator with his series The Yak and Hans Leerdam returned after a long absence with the graphic novel Rats vs. Frogs. But while veterans continued to be popular, new talents emerged. For example, Karin Hofmans, regarded today as the greatest female comics artist in Brunant, made her debut in 1995 and Sindbad in 1998. 21st century (2000-today) Gradually, the domestic titles took over and new independent publishers were founded (Wave, Comicbus etc). Karin Hofmans became very popular during the early 00's with her slice of life trilogy Lise, while more recently she co-created (with writer Leonard White) the children's series Norbert and the Sbluffs. Frits created his magnum opus The King's Champions in 2006, while in 2015 Sindbad started his best-known work, The Extraordinary Adventures of[[The Extraordinary Adventures of Captain K| Captain K]], a humorous sci-fi series. Famous creators Hendrik Smeets in 1935.jpg|Hendrik Smeets (1889-1970) de Moor (1937).jpg|Jeroen de Moor (1937) Leerdam (1949).jpg|Hans Leerdam (1949-2011) Pat McCloud (1950).jpg|Pat McCloud (1950) Jones in 2015.jpg|N. Jones (1951) Hugo Luchtenveld (1953).jpg|Hugo Luchtenveld (1953) Frits.jpg|Frits (1965) Karin Hofmans (1970).jpg|Karin Hofmans (1970) Sindbad.jpg|Sindbad (1974) Famous comics Series Graphic novels Publishers * Comfuzio Comics * Drakenkop * Inkpress * Microstad * Sluizer & Poels * Turner Books (until 1985) References *